Adam Diegel might be making his Indianapolis Opera debut, but he is no newcomer to his role of Don José in “Carmen.”

“This will be my 80th-plus performance of Don José,” he said.

“Carmen” is set for Nov. 10-12 at The Tarkington at the Center for the Performing Arts in Carmel. Performances will be at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 10-11 and 3 p.m. Nov. 12.

Diegel, who is based in the Orlando area, said there is a unique character arc to Don José.

“It’s kind of fun to follow the betrayal and demise of the character,” Diegel said. “He kind of devolves into madness.”

Diegel, a Korean American tenor, said “Tosca” is probably the favorite opera in which he has performed because he plays a protagonist.

“But I’ve definitely performed in (‘Carmen’) the most,” Diegel said. “Don José has its moments when it can be very taxing. That’s not always fun if you are having an off night. Don José has some redeemable qualities but very few. He’s a pretty twisted character. Carmen is not guiltless in her actions. He depends a lot on how the director wants to portray things.”

Don José leaves a woman who loves him for the fiery Carmen.

In 2023, Diegel said the story transforms into Carmen being a strong female character and Don José can be a demented character.

“In my opinion, they are equally at fault, maybe him a little more,” Diegel said.

Don José eventually kills Carmen. Diegel said Indy Opera will stay true to Georges Bizet’s original opera.

“I just did a production where I was the one who was killed,” Diegel said. “They did it tactfully within the context of the storyline. Don José does admit at the end, ‘I did wrong and come arrest me and take me to my fate.’ But, unfortunately, he had to kill Carmen to do that.”

Diegel has previously worked with Nina Yoshida Nelsen, who plays Carmen, in a couple of productions.

“She played my mother in ‘Cavalleria rusticana,’” Diegel said. “Now she plays my love interest, so we’ve come full circle.”

For more, visit indyopera.org.